Photo Critique Challenge: Shadows

Hi everyone, we're pleased to announce our next Photo Critique challenge. For this month, our theme is: creative use of shadows. Famous Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki once said: "Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides." Seems like a great idea for a creative photo assignment! Although it is often said that photographers “chase the light,” what we really should be doing is chasing the contrast between light and shadow. It is at the edge of light where the true magic happens. Of course, not all scenes work well with mixed lighting and shadows, such as waterfall

scenes where harsh light and heavy shadows can create too much compositional disorder. For many scenes,

however, shadows can greatly enhance a composition. So the next time you are out chasing the light, take some time to pay attention to the darkness as well—it may mean the difference between a good photograph and a great one. We'd love to see your images that use shadows in an artistic way. Our deadline for this photo challenge is February 5.

We'll be going live with our photo critique on February 9 at 5 p.m. EST. Rick and I will be picking our favorites from the photos submitted to this critique forum and offering suggestions for improvement. You can register for the webinar by clicking here. If you can't join us live, don't worry, we'll record the session and post the replay here on Photo Wonders and on Photo Masters.

For more information about The Photo Critique and how to submit images, please click here.

We're looking forward to seeing your amazing photos!